He and she said:
We picked thse two wines up at, where else, Cork and Bottle, and thought it would be educational to try them side-by-side. It could be alleged that this is just a good excuse to open two bottles at the same. We might have to plead guilty to that one.
The wines are very similar. Both are from the same country, about the same price, and they both use many of the classic Bordeaux blending grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot) with some interesting additions.
The vitals on our two contenders:
2005 Pargua II
Chile
Maipo Valley
Cab Sauvignon/ Carmenere/ Syrah/ Merlot/ Cab Franc/ Petit Verdot
14.9% Alcohol
$19.99
2005 Maquis Lien
Chile
Valle de Colchagua
Syrah/ Carmenere/ Cabernet Franc/ Petit Verdot/ Malbec
14.5% alcohol
$18.99
We tasted them blind, and were very quickly able to guess which was which, based on the label descriptions. The Maquis Lien (or Lizard Wine, as we call it) has much more Syrah, and we could pick up the black pepper on the nose. Also, the Cabernet Franc really stood out, giving this bottle a pronounced tartness on the front. We suspect the Carmenere, a grape missing in the Pargua, might have something to do with this as well.
In contrast, the Syrah was much more restrained in the Pargua. The black pepper was replaced by the classic vanilla notes we frequently find in Merlot. We found that the Merlot rounded off the tartness of the Cab Franc in the Pargua, resulting in a wine we preferred.
The unanimous winner by TKO: The Pargua II.
Both wines are very nice, but the Pargua is hard to beat at $19.99. Maybe that’s why we have so many bottles of it.
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